UN provides technical assistance to alleviate drought effects in Moldova

Farmers and the disadvantaged groups in Moldova affected by this year’s drought will receive technical assistance worth 6 million USD from the United Nations. The Project “Relief and Technical Assistance Response to the Drought in Moldova” will be carried out through a period of six months and aims at addressing the emergency needs created by the drought which affected the country this year. The project will be carried out through a period of six months, with a total available budget of 6 million USD. The financial support is provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The project beneficiaries will be first selected by a commission created at the community level after which it will be approved by similar commissions at district and national levels. In the case of farmers, members of the commission will take into account the impact of the drought, social conditions and the availability of the beneficiary to plant winter crops. Thus 20,500 farm households will be selected to produce winter wheat with each family being provided with seeds, fertilizers and fuel. Other 15,000 poor families will receive fodder. In the framework of the project, poor families will be provided free meals and allowances as well as fortified cereals to avoid iron deficiency. To reduce the negative impact of droughts in the future, the UN Agencies will develop, within the project, an Agricultural Development Strategy which will allow national authorities to create a risk mitigation system for natural disasters and resolve structural issues such as access to market, financial resources and farmer back-up schemes. The project will be managed by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the UN Population Fund, the United Nations Children Fund, other UN agencies and the Government of Moldova as well as NGOs and local public authorities which are implementing partners of the project. According to the joint assessment of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme (FAO/WFP), about 84 per cent of the total area of agricultural land of the country has been affected by the drought and the cost of lost production, at market prices, is estimated at nearly 300 million euros for cereal crops only.